Pre-departure checklist ✈️ ✅ Weather: cloudy ✅ Visibility: 5 miles ✅ Fuel: black
By Daniel Thomson Jr · October 10, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Pre-departure checklist ✈️
✅ Weather: cloudy
✅ Visibility: 5 miles
✅ Fuel: black coffee, of course
✅ Fire extinguisher: in hand (safety first, always. There is a reason I carry 2 in my truck at all times. 1 = None)
✅ Arms out: marshalling myself off the ramp one last time
Today is my last day at Rainier Flight Service, and I'm taxiing out with a full heart.
To every RFS employee, current and former: thank you! The instructors, mechanics, line crew, and front desk team (my favorite team, but I am biased) who kept this place running taught me more than any checklist could. Thank you for the early mornings, the problem solving, and for always putting safety and our students first.
To RFS's business partners: thank you for your trust, your teamwork, and for helping us keep airplanes flying and dreams moving forward.
I'm proud of what we built together, and I'll be cheering for RFS from wherever my next flight plan takes me.
Cleared for takeoff. 🛫
I will be sharing vectors to final soon!